


Apparitions

by Pinx_B



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Introspection, Light Angst, Yuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 02:42:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20332729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pinx_B/pseuds/Pinx_B
Summary: Recounting the time when Gensokyo existed before its quietus, Eirin is met with several encounters which make her wonder about life after such a burdening loss...





	Apparitions

* * *

She'd lost them all. 

Every single one of them. 

10 years had passed and still, the sharpness of the grief Eirin felt hadn't lessened. 

She knew it never would dissipate and it was something she had experienced prior when losing Kaguya. 

The same thing had occurred again, as if fate had dragged Eirin by the neck and dunked her into a pool of irony. 

Kaguya had slipped from her grasps and she wasn't the only one. 

Gensokyo's memories roamed around the lunarian's mind; oozing in every corner of her gifted brain. 

She was haunted day in and day out. 

Eirin's eyes glanced at the clock on the wall of the bar she was in. The dimmed lighting would've made it impossible for anyone to read from a distance but Eirin wasn't _just_ anyone. 

It was another agonising reminder of her loneliness. 

Amongst all the humans she was surrounded with, she was alone. 

Humans that had little idea of a land which had been cruelly wiped out and the potential of their home being next. 

The knowledge of the culprits pricked at Eirin's barely visible patience as she wrapped her hand around the glass of alcohol she'd been sipping. 

She picked the drink up, placing her full lips over the rim and took a delicate sip. 

Just the burning sensation hitting the back of her throat felt like false relief. 

Like the stinging was reminding her that she was still alive when she shouldn't be. 

That she was able to breath when the ones she loved couldn't. 

The unfairness of the situation made her livid. 

If it was possible at said moment, Eirin would've taken her own life. She didn't feel like she deserved to live, not after losing everything she held dear to her. 

Wandering the world aimlessly had become engrained into her mind, watching humans go on with their lives without a care in the world. 

Eirin _envied_ them. 

How she wished she could relinquish the longevity she was cursed in. 

She was continuously tortured by the flashbacks of her past, a time where Gensokyo existed. 

What was once a paradisiacal land where species of all types thrived was now a scorched remnant. The entirety of the plane was obliterated by the sophisticated weaponry of the moon. 

No warning. No foresight. No escape. 

Gensokyo was desecrated by the lunarians. 

A surprise altercation with the Lunar Capital led to Gensokyo's demise; a day which nobody could have seen looming. 

With its inhabitants deceased, displaced or damaged, only a few escaped the brutality. 

The curse of immortality plagued Eirin in particular as she was unable to let go of a past that could never be revived. She couldn't bring back or maintain enough power to fight back which led to widespread devastation of her home. 

Kaguya had been taken back to the moon by force before the bomb which the lunarians placed was devilishly detonated. Within the dead of the night was the princess whisked away, breaching all of Eientei's barriers like a wisp of breeze, undetected. 

Reisen had been killed before the impact to make a point, to remind Eirin how vulnerable she has become. In front of her own eyes was the woman's life zapped away whilst calling out to her master for help but it was too late, she couldn't be saved. 

Keine had little chance of surviving the impact just like the other denizens of Gensokyo. She perished whilst trying to protect the kids at school before the wave of flames and toxins poisoned them. No amount of preparation could have saved the woman or the village as the aggressive assault by the lunarians rampaged over the land. 

From what Eirin had last heard, Yorihime and Toyohime had been stripped of their titles as the lunar princesses, similar to Kaguya and were on permanent house arrest. The malevolent forces behind the uprising of the uncouth officials belonging to moon had fuelled the coup and neither woman could fight back enough to restore order. 

Everyone Eirin loved had suffered. 

It was an attack which elucidated the lunarians hatred for earthlings in one final assault to depict to Eirin how she had chosen the wrong side. 

She repudiated the ideology of the earth dwellers as being repulsive and inferior, something she wished she could have conveyed to the denizens of the moon but that opportunity was non-existent. 

Instead, a heinous incursion was their answer. 

Eirin's hand trembled around her glass as the imagery swirled around like a toxic plume of air, suffocating her constantly. 

She could _never_ wash away the stench of demise from that day, the loss she had endured. 

It haunted her. 

Like a spirit which was bounded to Eirin's soul now. 

The goddess dragged her eyes away and forced herself to look at the crowd in an effort to distance herself from the self loathing. But it was a mistake when she landed her vision on a woman walking into the bar.

Her mouth parted before she could call out a name, _her_ name. 

How the woman looked so painfully familiar. 

The short pink hair, the serene smile, the soothing fuchsia eyes, porcelain skin so entrancing. 

She was a _replica_ of Yuyuko. 

It was like the princess was right there, just a few feet away. However, the cold mirage failed in its trickery as Eirin composed herself before she could act hastily. 

Never again would she see Yuyuko again as the link between Gensokyo and the Netherworld had been severed the moment the land of illusions was destroyed. 

What twisted the knife further for Eirin was the fact that she couldn't die to join Yuyuko. The bitterness of the notion never left the woman as she gulped after politely smiling at the woman when she caught her staring. 

She could not end her own life; furthering the curse of immortality. 

Eirin recollected her thoughts again as best as she could in the dimly lit room, using the shadows to her advantage to hide away. But she stood out wherever she went as her otherworldly beauty and traits compiled attention on her regardless of the environment. 

That was when she crossed eyes with a distinctive looking woman stood near a group of her friends on the other side of the room. 

A twisted hallucination of another woman she loved. 

The soft ombre hair, the welcoming hazel eyes, the delicate smile on her lips, all of her captivating. 

A _clone_ of Byakuren if there ever was such a thing. 

She was heavenly under the glow of the strobe lights and Eirin felt a tug, a magnetic sensation pulling her to the woman. 

But she refused to follow it as the idea of succumbing to such a vision caused Eirin more grief than joy. 

Byakuren's death resonated instantly the moment the Myouren Temple was engulfed in flames. Agonising cries could be heard whilst the priestess did her best to save anyone she could but it was futile, nobody would be escaping. 

She was left with an emptiness so void; immortality ensuring its existence. 

Similar to before, Eirin acknowledged her presence with a gentle smile before tearing her gaze away in an effort to not yield to temporary dreams. 

The music around her had shifted to a more relaxed cadence, wrapping around the bar like a comforting blanket and Eirin tried to focus on it. She tapped her fingers against the table to match the rhythm, wondering whom had selected such a delectable piece of music. 

Curiosity overtook the lunarian's mind so she glanced towards the jukebox to see a tall woman stood there, pleased by her selection and meeting Eirin's eyes. 

The smouldering scarlet orbs, the blue hair up in a ponytail, the playfulness of the grin, how she was a sight to behold. 

A picturesque _duplicate_ of Kanako. 

That smirk stopped Eirin's heart against her chest, it was exactly like Kanako's and the effect of it was instantaneous. 

Eirin melted as she drank in the expression of the woman while trying to convince her mind that this was all a lie, that it wasn't the mountain goddess. 

Kanako had disappeared the second Sanae died, as did Suwako. Without a priestess and followers, the entity was doomed to fade away into the nothingness of a goddess without prayers. Her disappearance was felt as well as witnessed when the lake and the shrine evaporated into the air, moments before Youkai Mountain crumbled. 

The ice filling her veins when she disappeared lingered, just like Eirin's immortality. 

There was little point in entertaining the idea of Kanako being there, it'd only shatter Eirin furthermore so she nodded her head, smiling at the figure before looking away. 

She was hurting enough; the idea of touching someone that bared such a resemblance to her lovers was masochistic. 

It'd cause Eirin more pain than it would in terms of healing her mind and moving on. 

She shook her head slightly and pushed back her glass before grabbing her coat and bag. It was was better to leave the establishment than remain there, wallowing in opportunistic glimpses that would be detrimental in the long run. 

Reliving the badinage and troves of conversation with her lovers was only swamping Eirin with heartache. 

The night had dwindled on and all Eirin wanted to do was go home and let the sleep and nightmares serenade her. She had work the day after and it was just about enough motivation to get her to get going and annihilate any other thoughts of leaving with a woman. 

That was until she almost crashed into a figure walking towards her. The collision wasn't too harsh but it almost knocked the other woman back. 

Eirin's hands steadied her before she could tumble as both apologised before locking eyes. 

Eirin's complexion paled. 

Vivid violet orbs stared up at her with a face framed with blonde hair. 

She was lost in a sweeping sensation of familiarity and unfamiliarity.

_Yukari_.

Eirin was desperate to say her name again, it was on the tip of her tongue.

This woman was a carbon copy of the youkai.

There was no room for error in deciding as they continued to gaze at each other without a care for their surroundings.

To have the shorter woman in her arms felt like she belonged there, like she was _meant_ to remain there with Eirin. 

The long blonde lashes batted several times which brought the lunarian out of her trance and the duo continued their awkward apologies whilst smiling. 

It felt natural, like Yukari was there. 

Like the youkai hadn't died whilst trying to protect Gensokyo with her mind and body. 

The Hakurei Barrier collapsed imminently and no level of strength from its creator could shield the blast from the lunarians weapons of mass destruction. 

Yukari's last fleeting smile towards Eirin was etched into the goddesses being, along with the words of the final goodbye. 

But here she was with a woman whom could have been Yukari in this life, in her arms. 

_Have we met?_

The words slipped out before Eirin could realise what she was saying and she quickly apologised for being so blunt but her companion didn't seem to mind, a gentle smile on her lips that made Eirin's breath stall.

She could feel her body losing control as the scent of the small blonde infiltrated her brain. Her mellow voice did the same and Eirin was imprisoned in whatever this woman was caging her in.

She didn't mind, she couldn't refuse anymore.

Stepping back, Eirin was surprised to find the blonde's grip on her forearms remain. It was as if a message had transpired between them so Eirin hedged her bet and offered the woman a drink. 

Whatever unusual link there was between this stranger and the love of her life was something Eirin wanted to dig into and unearth. Her need to find closure was overwhelming and she had a feeling that this chance encounter could be the event needed to provide that for her.

So when the woman agreed, Eirin's smile was the most genuine it had been in the last 10 years. 

Whatever the night entailed, Eirin would accept it with open arms. 

She had lost _everything_ and was destined to exist with the sordid aftertaste but perhaps she could salvage something now. 

It could suffice as an emeritus gift from whatever entity that could see through Eirin's anguish. 

***

Her name was Maribel Hearn. 

A lecturer at the local university. 

Eirin glanced at the sleeping figure pressed up against her body, admiring the golden locks strewn against the side of her face and shoulder. Her gentle breathing covered the lunarian's chest with warmth as the reddened lips contrasted elegantly with the woman's skin. 

Maribel truly was Yukari incarnate. 

She was ineffable in every sense of the word, a woman whom had clearly transcended from a location where not a single soul could unearth. 

Yet _here_ Maribel was, in Eirin's bed. 

The sensations felt almost surreal, bizarre, Eirin's intoxicated mind clearing but there were no regrets. 

Just a blissful recount of the first signs of reprieve she had felt since fleeing from the crumbling ruins that Gensokyo had become. 

She was robbed of everything she loved, swallowed and spat out by a civilization she was responsible for crafting with her bare hands. 

What a waste that had turned out to be. 

But was there any point in dwelling on what had been, as opposed to what was happening _now_. 

Waking up next to a woman whom shared such startling traits with someone she had lost. 

Eirin surveyed the sleeping face appearing angelic under the light of the creeping sun.

Maribel was delicate, tentative, yet filled with so much tangible passion that it blew Eirin away. She was different, but still starkly similar to Yukari and the differences were merely appealing. 

Perhaps this was life's way of rewarding Eirin with something, _something_ to hold onto after the demise of the land and loves she called home. Perhaps she could start over with this divine woman who'd appeared like a calling, a sign for her to grasp on. 

Tenderly, she brushed the back of her knuckles over the defined cheekbones, relishing in the small twitch as her partner stirred in her sleep. Eirin was met with dark eyes, the violets pulsing with shyness yet assertiveness. A languid smile appeared on Maribel's lips as she warmly greeted Eirin with a melodious good morning. 

It certainly was. 

Eirin could vouch for that whilst keeping her fingers on the blonde's face when she inched forward beneath the sheets. The smaller body was flush against her chest as nimble hands trailed up and down Eirin's spine, eliciting a shiver which made the lecturer bite her own lip when Eirin chided her playfully. 

How strange, the morning mirroring something Eirin had almost forgotten. 

The warmth of another body. 

The sparkle in violet orbs. 

The golden tresses spilling over covers. 

Not that she would ever forget Yukari as Eirin tried to purposely bury the morning memories in the past because it caused her agonising recounts of touching Yukari whenever she could. 

But she was content in allowing the sight back in as Maribel watched her with curious eyes, hands climbing up Eirin's neck and settling in her silver hair. 

A gentle call of her name brought Eirin back to the present, as did a press of lips against her own. 

Eirin capitulated at the feeling of Maribel's sweetest kiss whilst her eyes closed and body bowed down to the woman's presence. 

Fleeting journeys of lips meeting.

Nails gently scratching at skin. 

Palms moulding over curves.

Tongues intertwining like vines around roses. 

It was as if Maribel _knew_ where Eirin's mind had disappeared to and carried out said actions in a bid to bring her back, but that couldn't be possible. 

Perturbed, Eirin pulled away slightly and brushed Maribel's fringe to the side, wondering with an intense stare as to why Maribel felt familiar, _why_ she could touch her the way Yukari did. She realised it throughout their passionate night, how in tune they were despite only having had met, but Eirin couldn't shirk the overwhelming essence of familiarity. 

Maybe she was thinking too much, taking the similarities too literally. 

Maribel was a dainty human whom resembled a powerful youkai. 

That was all. 

Wasn't it?


End file.
